- A TikToker went viral saying she spent 20 minutes cleaning her hotel room upon arrival.
- In her viral video, she said the cleaning routine helps her to “gain peace of mind” during her stay.
- Viewers had mixed reactions about whether the routine was necessary.
A TikToker who posted a video of herself spending 20 minutes cleaning her hotel room upon arrival has divided viewers with her extensive cleaning routine.Â
The user goes by @operation_niki on TikTok and Rochelle N. Stewart on Instagram, and shares cooking, cleaning, and organizational videos with her 1.7 million followers across both platforms. On June 26, she shared a video that appeared to show her checking into a hotel room and cleaning it extensively. Â
In the video caption, Stewart wrote: “You know ya girl has issues w/ strangers bodily fluids… can’t take no chances! I’m cleaning everytime!”Â
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“This clean life isn’t for everyone, but this is what I do when I check into a hotel,” she said as she sprayed the hotel chairs with Clorox disinfecting spray. “If you like sleeping under a comforter or showering in a bathroom that may or may not have been cleaned thoroughly, that’s definitely your prerogative.”Â
The next clip showed Stewart carefully placing her collection of 13 skincare products onto the bathroom vanity, and then spraying the bathroom floor. “Even if I wear flip-flops, I gotta at least clean the shower floor. Call me crazy if you want,” she said.Â
Next, she checked for bed bugs with a blue light before ripping open a bag of disposable sheets and pillowcases and putting them on her bed. “Yes, disposable sheets. They’re surprisingly comfortable,” she said.Â
Finally, she showed clips of herself wiping down a TV remote and the surfaces of her room with an antibacterial wipe, and then plugging her phone, watch, and earphones into a charger. “Now I can enjoy my trip to the fullest,” she said. She also added that the routine helps her gain “peace of mind.”
While most of Stewart’s posts receive a few hundred thousand views, her hotel room cleaning routine video has received 4 million views since she uploaded it. Many commenters were shocked by how much cleaning she was doing when she was meant to be on vacation. On June 27, Twitter user @Bornakang reposted the viral video on Twitter with the caption, “Damn if I gotta do all that I might as well stay home lol.” So far, it has been retweeted over 15,000 times.
—Lance🇱🇨 (@Bornakang) June 27, 2023
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While many users agreed that the cleaning routine was excessive, some jumped to her defense. A Twitter user who goes by the handle @tweetwithashlee, replied, “I will not tolerate any operation niki slander. All she does is clean & mind her business. If it ain’t for you, it ain’t for you.”
Some TikTok users posted comments asking Stewart for tips, suggesting that they were interested in following her method. jennalauren11 asked, “Can you show us how you pack the cleaning supplies when you fly? I struggle with that!”Â
Meanwhile, other users took the opportunity to offer some of their own advice. One comment by a TikTok user who goes by the username limitless_bianca, said that they would check for bedbugs first, so that they don’t waste their time cleaning a room they may not stay in, So far, it has received over 28,300 likes. Stewart acknowledged the comment and replied, “Great life hack!”Â
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts recommended disinfecting surfaces in a similar way to that shown in the TikTok video, as it’s impossible to know who last touched them, so if that is a concern, the tips may be useful.
While hotel rooms are typically cleaned between guests, bedbugs are not unheard of, although they are rarer at more high-end establishments, Jeff White, chief product officer at the pest control manufacturer SenSci, told HuffPost. Brittany Campbell, an entomologist with the National Pest Management Association, also told the outlet that checking the bedding is a good idea.
TikTok’s thriving cleaning community, known as CleanTok, took off during the pandemic at a time when making our homes look and feel good felt more important than ever. Videos using the hashtag have since been viewed over 80 billion times.Â
CleanTok videos typically feature satisfying videos of people cleaning their homes. Many of these videos are in the style of ASMR, which aims to stimulate viewers’ autonomous sensory meridian response.Â
Stewart (@operation_niki) did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.Â